BM #117 : Week 3, Day 3
Theme : Colorful Foods

I entered the world of tacos a little late, but it’s a meal that I prepare couple of times a month now. It’s so easy to put together and that’s such a selling point for me. It can be adjusted to everyone’s preferences – the toppings take care of whether it’s spicy or not, sweetish or not – so everyone is happy at the end of the meal. Add cheese and sour cream to the toppings and the kids are really happy!

I mostly stick to the same set of toppings, because its easy to stock those. Sour cream, cheese, couple of kinds of salsa, guacamole, corn salsa are regulars. I keep rotating a few of my favorite fillings. My choices are always between – cilantro lemon rice, black beans filling with salsa, Refried beans, spiced soya mince and Mexican rice. There are so many more fillings you can try, but these are what I usually make. I serve with soft tortillas and hard shell tacos, so everyone’s choice is covered.

The platter has :

1. Taco shells
2. Flour tortillas
3. Refried beans
4. Mexican rice
5. Guacamole
6. Shredded cheese
7. Tomato salsa
8. Street style corn
9. Chopped tomatoes
10. Sour cream
11. Pineapple soda

Ingredients for Mexican Rice:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped optional
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika/ chili powder
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup tomato sauce/ purée
• A handful of chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Select sauté mode in Instant Pot and add the oil. Add the onions, jalapeños, garlic, peppers and sauté for a minute. Add the rice, salt, cumin, chili powder. Sauté for a minute.
2. Add the water, stir it in. Now the add the tomato sauce/ purée. Don’t stir the sauce because sometimes instant pot throws up “burn” sign. So add the sauce on top and leave it there.
3. Close the lid and change the program to Manual for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and mix everything. Add the chopped cilantro and serve on its own or as a filling for tacos.

Linking this post to Kids Delight, event hosted by Vaishali this month.